First of all, I want to say that my heart goes out to you, or if someone close to you, has recently been diagnosed with cancer. It is very hard to hear such a diagnosis and then to explain to your family. I pray for all people who have a cancer diagnosis to get better and be strong against the disease.

Before we move on, I also want to add that receiving a cancer diagnosis does not mean to say you are going to die. Clearly this is dependent on the stage of your cancer, but even with advanced stages of cancer it is possible to prolong cancer growth and therefore prolong your life by making life-style changes to give you that opportunity. This is something I hope we can address in this article that I have written specifically for people who have received a cancer diagnosis.

Some cancer diagnoses are worse than others. It really does depend on where the cancer is growing in your body and how long the cancer has been growing. Cancer can also break off and spread to other areas of the body, particularly if you have cancer of the lymph nodes. The lymphatic system is part of the circulatory system and the immune system, so cancer has a much easier route to penetrate other areas of your body. Whereas, localised breast or prostate cancer is much easier to treat, because the organ is something you can live without and the relationship with other organs are not life-threatening.

What is cancer?

To understand what you are dealing with, it’s important to get as much information as you can, so that you are fully equipped to make the best decisions for yourself and your family. Cancer forms from mutated cells and cancer starts at the cellular level. Mutated cells grow a lot faster than normal cells. They will also clump together and develop into a tumour. This is why sometimes people can feel lumps. People with cancer will often have other signs and symptoms, but it really does depend where the cancer growth is to what your signs and symptoms will be. This is why cancer can be very hard to diagnose, because often the signs and symptoms of cancer can be attributed to other illnesses.

Cancer within certain organs and systems such as lymphatic or the blood, are often more severe, so taking an approach to treatment needs to be done quickly and with the best advice.

Treatment for cancer

Immune system boost

Having cancer means you have a lower functioning immune system. It’s very important to consider ways that you can give your immune system a boost.

Vitamin C and Zinc – Vitamin C is a powerful supplement that can help improve the function of your immune system. According to a science research study released on Pub Med, Vitamin C concentrations in the plasma and leukocytes rapidly decline during infections and stress. Supplementation of vitamin C was found to improve components of the human immune system such as antimicrobial and natural killer cell activities, lymphocyte proliferation, chemotaxis, and delayed-type hypersensitivity. <1>

Vitamin D – Many people do not realise that much of the UK population have low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is important for immune function and many studies have proven this also. In the recent years, studies have shown that Vitamin D can help in the prevention against respiratory diseases and colds. Having cancer can make you more likely to catch these illnesses, so taking a Vitamin D supplement regularly, especially during Autumn and Winter, could really help you.

Reduce inflammation and improve your digestion with bone broth

Inflammation is a major cause of disease, so finding ways to reduce inflammation is important. Broth is a powerful superfood. The healing properties in broth can help with reducing inflammation and improving digestion. Having a good functioning gut can also help the intestinal walls of your gut absorb much needed vitamins and minerals. Broth is also a great healer if you are feeling under the weather and have little appetite. It can help you keep your strength up and improve your mood.

Diversify your gut microbiome

Your gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the function of many systems in your body particularly your immune system, and also the communication system between your gut and your brain. Certain beneficial bacteria in your gut can become depleted over time from a poor diet, stress, alcohol, antibiotics and taking pharmaceuticals in general. It’s important to consider your gut microbes, because they are vital when it comes to digestion and the immune system in general.

You can help improve your gut flora by taking a high strength probiotic tablet of 50 billion CFU or more. You should also include fermented food and drinks in your diet too. These are natural bacteria that will grow in your gut helping to bring back some balance to your gut flora.

Take a Turkey Tail mushroom supplement

Turkey Tail mushroom is an amazing supplement. There are many proven health benefits for this wonderful mushroom and one of them that has been closely studied is their effectiveness for a complimentary treatment for cancer. However, please note Turkey Tail is not a sole treatment and anti-cancer drugs should still be continued. But, the research is promising in that this mushroom can assist in the treatment of cancer. For more information about Turkey Tail please visit the Healthline website and check out other research available online.

Give your diet an overhaul

Diet is also key to your immune system and improving your general health. It can be difficult to eat when managing a cancer diagnosis, but food is crucial to helping you function and gain your strength. Keeping your diet as natural as possible is very important, so focus on eating organic where you can, and have a diet rich in green vegetables, salads, some fruits, nuts, grains, seeds, eggs, poultry and some red meat (although keep to a minimum of once per week). There are some foods that are fantastic to help your gut bacteria colonise and grow and these are foods called prebiotics. Please check out our prebiotic article to learn more about these foods and how they compliment probiotics.

Remove toxic products from your hygiene and house

Toxins contribute to a poor functioning immune system, so it’s important to look at all the toxins that you are using in your house. For example, mass-produced shower gels and hair shampoos can contain a lot of toxins harmful to your body, so look at natural options. We make a tallow soap and it is excellent for washing and our rosehip oil for your facial skin is a great replacement from facial skin moisturisers.

Keep moving with exercise

It can be very hard to get motivated to exercise at the best of times, so this may be a challenge for you and it will of course depend on how you are feeling. A little exercise is better than none, even if you walk around the block or have a short swim. Whatever you choose, a little exercise may help you to feel better emotionally and physically. Please do not feel you have to push yourself, but it is still important to get up and get moving when you can.

I really hope that all of the above helps. Please feel free to comment or contact us directly if you have any questions or are in need of a little support.